From TBD to ZCD: Coyne rookie De Melo tapped to replace Fittipaldi in Indy 500

Zachary Claman Demelo will make his IndyCar debut with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

INDIANAPOLIS — Zachary Claman De Melo is the 35th and final entrant in the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500.

The Dale Coyne Racing rookie was officially tapped Tuesday by Coyne to replace Pietro Fittipaldi in the No. 19 PaySafe car after the young grandson of racing legend Emerson Fittipaldi crashed during an LMP qualifying session for the 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium and injured both of his legs.

The young Canadian will now fill in for Fittipaldi and be among the 35 drivers vying for a spot in the field of 33 cars during qualifying this weekend.

Claman DeMelo takes the seat coming off his best finish of the season with a 12th-place run at the IndyCar Grand Prix on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. However, he has never turned a lap on the IMS oval, nor any other oval in an Indy car. He did compete in six oval races as an Indy Lights driver over the past two years, and brought the car home clean in every one of them. His Indy Lights career best finish on an oval is sixth, which he achieved including at last year's Freedom 100.

Claman DeMelo will turn his first Indy car oval laps Tuesday during the ROP sessions where he will need to complete his rookie orientation (10 laps between 205 and 210 mph;15 laps between 210 and 215 mph; and 15 laps at 215 mph or faster.

“I’m very much looking forward to turning my first laps aboard the No. 19 PaySafe Indy car on the oval at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Claman De Melo said in a news releases. “It’s an iconic venue and I’m extremely fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to drive here. Again, it’s unfortunate that it’s under these circumstances with Pietro’s injuries so I realize how lucky I am to have this chance."